Are any of these cars worth it? And which one?

[GunMetalGrey]

Never thought a white car would look good with white wheels, but I kind of like it.

[Bullwings]

the only one that is close is the first one. the other two are way overpriced.

I wouldnt even bother to look at the third one.

I would like to get the first one for 1500$. Id email him saying thats the bottom line, can i check it out and then but in a lowball bid.

Dont even fool yourself, there is not a big market for spending 2 3 4k dollars on cars from the 80s. theres at least 10 cars per buyer in that market.

I have an m20 and I love the power but i hate the gas mileage. now the m42 robs peter to pay paul...not enough power for good gas mileage.

I think all things considered the m42 e30 should be more expensive than the m20 one.

All things arent equal the 2nd one is the nicest car but its more like 1000 off not 500 off.

Thanks, kind of more along the lines of the answer i was looking for (reasoning and explanations are nice).

Is the M42 that bad? Even with lightweight flywheel, exhaust, intake, and chip? I figure that's good for around 120-130whp, and shouldn't cost more than $1200-$1500 to do. I don't think it would kill the MPG either unless I was flogging and redlining it the whole time.

What would be a good car comparison of power/acceleration? 1996 corolla? Slower, faster, equal?

What kind of MPG can I expect out of an M20 vs m42 in rolling traffic - average speed of around 30mph? This is going to be my DD. My commute is about 30 miles, which takes about an Hour and 10 minutes to drive.

[stamar]

I have an m20....

it has 165 hp 170tq, and 2800 lbs. I feel this is enough.

the m20 engine is more reliable than the m42....

The main difference is going to be the take off power. Also it still hauls ass when its in the wrong gear...

lol

I think a 318 is about the same size as a 96 corrolla and it will have a little more power. Id say its underpowered personally but not by a lot. I think this weight needs 150 hp and 150 lb tq I just made that up. its still geared sporty whereas a camry or whatever is geared for the highway.

i had an i30 with 200 hp 200 lb tq and you dont need to go that fast ever ever racing...

but it was still nice. I wouldnt need a car with more than that

http://www.kbb.com/bmw/3-series/1992-bmw-3-series/318i-convertible-2d/?vehicleid=11416&intent=trade-in-sell&mileage=150000&category=convertible&pricetype=private-party

Ok so suppose the first car was actually a 92 convertible. both newer, and a more valuable convertible.

the kbb is 1700 with 150,000 miles. I just would not feel right about paying over that. because its a one off model I might grab it for that though... and remember 1700 is generous.

Now on the other hand? The 2nd car is actually worth less kbb.com I couldnt really feel comfortable paying over 1500 for it. All things considered. all the millionaires looking for a nice e30 for their collection bought one years ago. All the rest of the pimped out e30s are worth very little and they are worth a lot less that their owners think.

Its very nice look reliable.

I would not think you could resell it for anything really within a few years. But its a giant market, so theres idiots on both sellers and buyers out there. Someone wants to hold onto a car looking for a dumb seller thats their right....
So keep looking for someone with that car whos in a hurry to go. show them the kbb.com value. MOST BMWS go for way below the kbb value and they fall in value dramatically after 6 years. year for tear a 3 series will be worth less than a corrolla.

[OniKyan]

the m20 engine is more reliable than the m42....

No.

[stamar]

The la market is huge. I would pursue a steal over a specific model.

for 1500 you could get an rx7 or 240 sx both of which are very comparable but superior. that gen 2 rx7 has the right power and better handling...
Honestly the ONLY thing an e30 has on those two options is nicer interior. more useable back seats.

maybe even a 91 miata? maybe even an e34 merc c190 I dont know. cross research the best ones.

the very worst judges of a cars value are people who only buy that kind of car. bmws really tend to sit for a long time without anyone interested, especially if they have any problems.

[stamar]

No.

do you have any evidence to present? You have to remember to have something to say before you post.

If all you have is your opinion, make sure you wait until someone is asking your opinion.

the m20 engine is actually one of the most reliable engines bmw ever put out.

many many of them out there with 400k miles. m42 engines? none.

there is no educated person that has the same opinion as you actually.

[OniKyan]

do you have any evidence to present? You have to remember to have something to say before you post.

If all you have is your opinion, make sure you wait until someone is asking your opinion.

the m20 engine is actually one of the most reliable engines bmw ever put out.

many many of them out there with 400k miles. m42 engines? none.

there is no educated person that has the same opinion as you actually.

60k timing belt changes on an interference motor is not reliable.

[Bullwings]

Awesome. Thanks for that insight. I will definitely keep it in mind.

Also, this - It's not quite 400K miles, but here's and M42 with 300K+

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=317751404&dealer_id=557513&ct=u&carid_search=1

and SUPER SUPER over priced to boot. It is quite a nice example of what I'm looking for but not willing to pay for.

Anyway if I can low ball the first car on my original list for less than $1700, I'd pick it up for sure.

As for the other cars suggested, I'm not interested in them. My current DD/track car is superior to them - '06 S2000. I know there's tons of Honda haters in here - I'm not here to change any minds.

I'm mainly looking for an E30 because it has more of that classic car look while still being somewhat modern. i also want something with 4 doors that is reliable, gets good MPG, handles well, is rwd, and comes in a standard manual transmission. My S2000 gets around 23-26mpg, and up to 30+ for long drives on the highway - tracking it is more like 7-8mpg.

It's essentially going to turn into my DD beater car, and my S2000 will slowly turn more and more into a track car while still being smog/street legal. It'll serve as a back up to the E30 when it's down for repairs, which initially will probably be more often than I'd like. I'm hoping that once everything is sorted out, it'll be at least half as reliable as some of the more modern corollas 95+.

Another car that's also in a similar price range to the E30 that I'd like to have is a Datsun S30, but again, it would be even more impractical than my S2000 and doesn't fill hole of DD...

[OniKyan]

Another car that's also in a similar price range to the E30 that I'd like to have is a Datsun S30, but again, it would be even more impractical than my S2000 and doesn't fill hole of DD...

Datsun S30 FTW.

[stamar]

60k timing belt changes on an interference motor is not reliable.

change the timing belt and it never breaks. in fact ive never heard of one breaking done in time, as opposed to an m42 ive heard of many.

mobil ones million mile ad had it go through a million miles with an m20

timing belt engines are more reliable than timing chain engines for many reasons. Most million mile engines are belt engines, and there are none since hte switch back to chains.

because the chain shares the oil with the rest of the engine and flakes off into it. fewer contact points of metal on metal the better.

an interference motor makes it that much more reliable. That means, you will do it or it breaks. Nothing more reliable than that. If you didnt do it you must have wanted it to break....

for a second time Ill ask you not to post if you dont have any information.




I personally think for a late 80s early 90s car the e30 had a penis inferiority problem with its biggest competitor the late gen 2 rx7. It couldnt be better in any category but it could be cooler and more luxurious. It was definitely long in the tooth using an engine that started out in the 70s and was turned up to 11 sort of spraying more fuel on stuff.

[stamar]

ya the m20 is old school to your s2000.

It just sort of goes tons of torque. Geared way lower than you would think too kind of like a truck. kind of goes high or low...its funny like you can have the same hp in 2nd gear at x rpm as 3rd gear at x-1000 rpm and it makes no difference its just using less gas.

The m42 is dohc, its gutless till you hit the top so youre an economy car till you get going...

your s2000 uses two additional technologies to make the top end roll. so youre changing gears, then your keeping the rpm high sort of interacting a touch more.

weight is similar. you will be suprised that an e30 weighs the same but has back seats, and a big trunk.

[mr ilia]

I personnaly like m42. It is a sporty motor with is easy to modify for cheap and work on.

e30 with m42 will make you think it is a RWD Civic. Light and Economical, Sporty and High revving. Not as fast as m20, but definately more fun driving. You can r3dline m42 all day long and still get 20+ mpg in the city easily.

[M-technik-3]

second one looks good except for the shitty paint job..or it could be oxidation which you might be able to restore.

It's a crappy respray over bronzit. I would not be surprised if maacco did it.

[nando]

60k timing belt changes on an interference motor is not reliable.

neither are profile gaskets that failed, timing tensioners that were junk when they were new, and timing chain sytems that basically fall apart by 200,000 miles.

See how much it costs to replace an entire M42 timing chain setup and compare to how much you'd have spent on timing belts for an M20 over the same mileage. it's not even close.

I like the M42 from a driving the car standpoint - but mechanically, it's not one of BMWs best engines.

[Nick_S]

I love my M42. I've got a Turner chip, highflow cat and Dyna-max muffler, Bav auto coils and an "intake". For daily driving it's great, plenty of power to have fun with and still gets decent mileage. Now don't get me wrong, I'd love more power. My previous car was a supercharged SVT Focus that made around 250hp so to go from that to maybe 140hp was a drastic change, ha. I have no real experience with an M20. I will say mine has been dead reliable. It leaks oil sure, but I've driven 250 miles every weekend the last 3 months without a hiccup.